APHN Member Spotlight

Arlene RyndakArlene Ryndak MPH, BSN, RN

Prevention Coordinator (Retired)
Lake County Health Department
Illinois

What do you love most about being a public health nurse?

"Caring for a population of 700,000 plus might sound exhausting, but to me, public health nursing is energizing. I go where the need is – driven by purpose, grounded in prevention, and fueled by proactive action."

How did you become involved in APHN? And what value has it contributed to you.

"I became involved in APHN after a brief, but substantive conversation about public health policy with Mallory Bejster, Past President of APHN. I quickly saw APHN as a conduit for policy advocacy and joined the Policy Committee. APHN has become a professional home where I can both learn and lead."

Please share a fun fact about yourself.

"I am an Enneagram aficionado who readily shares Enneagram with others to help them understand why they think, feel, and behave the way they do. It is like getting the user manual for yourself."

Year Joined APHN

"I cannot pinpoint the year I joined APHN – been having too much fun! It has been within the last five years."

Billy WigginsBilly W. Wiggins, MSN, RN, CPH, CM

Director of Clinical Services - CHS
S.C. Dept. of Health & Environmental Control

What do you love most about being a public health nurse?

"The opportunity to continually learn and grow is one of my favorite things about working in Public Health. I also, love meeting people where they are and seeing the impact education and knowledge can have on health outcomes. Public health covers so many areas that it is hard to feel you have explored all it has to offer as a professional clinician."

How did you become involved with APHN; what value has it contributed to you?

"I became involved with APHN through my agency. APHN has allowed me to create a network with fellow nurses across the nation. This collaboration has helped me, many times, feel that I'm not alone in the battles I'm facing while working in the field of public health."

Please share a fun fact about yourself.

"I love photography. I've found the art of capturing a moment in time to be very powerful. Taking, and editing, photos has become a form of therapy for me. Photography is universal; requires no words, yet communicates in a manner that is beyond doubt."